NHS waiting-list success

NATIONAL Health Service hospitals in England have succeeded in clearing those waiting longest from their lists four months after Frank Dobson, Secretary of State for Health, gave them an ultimatum to do so, writes Jeremy Laurance.

Provisional figures released yesterday showed that there were no patients waiting longer than 18 months at the end of March, the limit set down in the Patients' Charter. The number had increased six-fold after the election from 155 last May to 818 in November. Yesterday, Mr Dobson congratulated NHS staff, adding: "Now we move on to deliver other promises."